1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to a new design for pumping a liquid or a slurry or the like from a well and more particularly to a two-stage means of pumping wherein the pump is located within the well and is operated by a reciprocating cylinder that may be either pneumatically or hydraulically operated.
2. General Background
Pumps and devices utilizing a pumping action are used for a variety of different purposes. U.S. Pat. No. 868,192 issued to Vergne illustrates a hand-operated means of priming a main pump while U.S. Pat. No. 2,267,064 issued to Wikelund illustrates a hand-operated device for cleaning waste lines. U.S. Pat. No. 2,552,762 issued to Baker illustrates a more conventional hand pump that has been motorized and located within a pump house while U.S. Pat. No. 1,031,362 issued to Mohr discloses a pump that may be either hand-operated or power operated. U.S. Pat. No. 1,528,253 issued to Lanser illustrates a means of maintaining a certain liquid level for measuring pumps while U.S. Pat. No. 1,487,946 issued to Johnston incorporates a pair of cylinders to maintain the pumping action.
A different type of pump altogether is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,749,337 issued to Dickinson, et al., which discloses a first reciprocating (piston) pump for discharging water at a relatively high speed for purging purposes prior to sampling. The piston rod or tubing moves within the entire length of discharge tubing. Also, illustrated is a second bladder pump which operates at a relatively low speed for withdrawing actual water samples.
While each of these devices may be useful for their intended purpose, none of them pertain to the use of a pneumatic or hydraulic operated pump suspended within a well for discharge therefrom. It is thus an object of the present invention to provide such a novel means of removing water from deep within a well. Another object of the present invention is to provide a pump whose discharge tubing can either be located outside the pump housing but within the well casing or the discharge tubing can be enclosed within the pump housing. Another feature of the present invention is the capability of utilizing an enclosed bladder for temporarily containing the pumped fluid within the pump housing before it is delivered to the surface. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a means of utilizing the reciprocating action of a pneumatic or hydraulic operated pump for both suction and discharge purposes. These and other features and objects of the present invention will become obvious upon further investigation.